French esports organization Team Vitality has officially expanded its esports operations into Honor of Kings, Esports Insider has reported.
ESI has also reported that Team Vitality will compete in the Honor of Kings Invitational Season 2, joining as the fifth and final partner in the game’s new esports program.
The roster is composed of Benjamin “Benji” Bourdeau, Giovanni “Shanks” Song, Changpeng “CTBOY” Qi, Jannis “Jasch” Schimmel, Martin “Hailand” Raza, and Giorgio “Nighty” Hu. They will be coached by Jie “Andy” Zhang.
Team Vitality co-founder and President Fabien “Neo” Devide said about the development, “We have the unique opportunity to occupy a special place in one of their flagship games, the most played and watched mobile MOBA in the world. We can’t wait to show our ambition and take part in the show.”
This expansion marks Team Vitality’s debut in the Honor of Kings competitive scene, making it the only Western team in the league’s partnership programme alongside Southeast Asia’s Rex Regum Qeon or RRQ, South America’s Isurus, Türkiye’s FUT Esports, and Saudi Arabia’s R8 Esports. This is also their second mobile MOBA team to enter in, following their recent announcement of their entry to Mobile Legends: Bang Bang.
As a partner team, Team Vitality will receive direct invitations to top tournaments and support from the game’s developers to help grow the game’s ecosystem. This initiative follows a $15 million (~£11.8 million) investment by Tencent and Level Infinite to promote Honor of Kings globally. Additionally, the game will launch in more regions on June 20th .
Team Vitality’s entry into Honor of Kings aligns with its broader strategy to create competitive teams across multiple games, aiming to accumulate more points in the Esports World Cup Club Championship. This approach increases their chances of winning the US$20 million Club Championship by qualifying teams in more games.
Team Vitality is one of 30 teams selected for the Esports World Cup Club Support Program, which gives teams a one-time six-figure stipend if an organization is willing to enter new esports as well as additional funding each year if they drive viewership and fan engagement to the Esports World Cup.
